A/N: Hello lovies! Thank you all for your marvelous reviews for the last chapter—We're so close to a thousand! And thanks for sticking with me through the long waits! I'm afraid that won't change for a while! I'm lucky I've even had the chance to write this chapter, as life is busier than ever at the moment! If anyone has LJ, you're welcome to add me (JKRsunkmyship) and see posts about my writing (both fanfic and original) and life in general.
This chapter is dedicated to the lovely people who have recommended this story at Twilighted. I'm afraid I don't know your names, but I've had quite a few people tell me that they heard about the story there, and I have you to thank, whoever you are! So thank you!
Also, this chapter is for xxemmygrrlxx (who inspired another name with her idea) for your name suggestions way back at Chapter seventeen and to everyone else who reviewed with names.
Now on to the chapter!
Chapter Twenty-Five
January 1st, 2009
8:30 A.M.
It takes him longer than it should have to smell the bacon burning in the kitchen, but he is so wrapped up in the scent of her, the way she touches him, the sounds she makes—that he loses track of all else in the world. Which is definitely saying something for him. Being this deep in the wilderness—it's so very close to silence. He can still hear a faint underlying rumble of peoples' thoughts far away, but they are easy to tune out.
He throws out the bacon while Bella pours herself some cereal.
"I'm sorry. I wanted to do something special for you." He apologizes.
She grins and cocks an eyebrow playfully. "Oh believe me. You were doing something special for me. Feel free to let the bacon burn anytime."
She manages to say it without a blush, and that only makes her more wonderful to him. But then, of course, she sees the hunger in his gaze, and the blush comes running.
"We're never going to get out of this cottage if you keep looking at me like that." She whispers.
Laughing, he tells her she's right, and shoos her along to the bedroom to change. He opts to stay in the living room, because even with walls between him and her naked skin—it's too great a temptation.
He wants to lose himself with her in the great outdoors. He wants the only thing he can smell for miles to be her and the distinct aroma of nature. And it doesn't hurt that the places he's planning on taking her are a difficult journey for a human, which means he has an excuse to carry her the whole way in his arms.
And he must be becoming to accustomed to her, because she's halfway in his arms before he realizes her presence. She curls into his chest, her arms and legs folded around him, and he considers dumping his plans and locking to the two of them away in the bedroom. But then he sees the excited look on her face, and pushes back his selfish desires.
"So what's on the schedule?" She asks.
"A bit of exploring." He answers, simultaneously taking the time to explore the skin of her neck with his lips.
"Mmm… perhaps into uncharted territories?" She asks breathlessly.
He laughs huskily, his breath dancing across her milky skin.
"We'll see."
He stands, not bothering to let her feet touch the ground. Her chest is pressed against him, her legs wrapped snuggly around his waist. Her hips are fitted just above his own, and he wonders if he'll be able to run with her body so temptingly close to his.
He's found an entirely new meaning to the phrase, "When it rains, it pours." He thought he could get by with pushing his boundaries just a little further, but the trickle of desire it produced has evolved to a full-out downpour.
Take an inch, and you won't be able to resist the temptation of taking a mile.
He runs slower than normal, worried that the heady sensation her presence creates might make his reaction time slower if something were to happen. But he doesn't complain. It's just that much more time he can hold her in his arms. He cradles her gently as he climbs over a ridge, and then carefully makes his way down the other side.
They are in a small oasis, surrounded by rock that hides it away from the less adventurous explorers. The water of the pond is nearly crystal clear, disrupted only by the sloshing of the beautiful waterfall on the far side. Moss covered rock juts out from the cliff, and the water trickles over making the green sparkle in the sunlight. There is a small little haven behind the wall of water, like a private getaway, and he can imagine the two of them locked away forever in the watery wonderland.
"It's gorgeous!" Bella cries.
She scrambles down out of his arms to get a better look. He tenses as she gets close to the water, ready to catch her if she should stumble. But her footing is sure, and her expression is confident as she turns around to gaze at him.
She hesitates for a moment, and he wonders what she's thinking about, then her hand grasps the bottom of her shirt and lifts it over her head.
"Bella! What are you doing?" He asks.
She only grins, "Exploring."
She shucks her pants next, leaving her in a simple white bra and sensible gray underwear. He can't stop his eyes from roving over her form. Her lean waist, the flare of her hips, the creamy ivory swell of her breasts peeking out from her undergarments.
He feels a distinct tightening sensation in his groin, and forces himself to remain rational. She dips a toe into the water, and shivers in response. He then realizes her true intentions.
"Bella, you can't. The water's probably freezing. "
She shrugs. "Maybe. But I want to see the waterfall up close."
He charges towards her, "Absolutely not. You'll catch pneumonia."
"Then I guess you'll just have to warm me up."
She steps back in the water before he can stop her, and it reaches the middle of her calves.
"Wait! Just… wait."
He pulls her back out of the water, eyeing the droplets glistening on the skin of her ankles.
He looks at her for a moment, gauging her determination.
Finally, with a growl of "This is ridiculous." He relents.
"I'm not letting you get in that water. But I suppose I can get you closer to the waterfall."
He begins unbuttoning his own shirt, and her eyes widen. He removes his pants swiftly, before he can change his mind. He remembers too late the effect seeing her scantily clad body has had on him. And she flushes deeply at seeing the way his boxers are stretched over his desire for her. He doesn't comment, because he doesn't want to embarrass her.
She sidles up to him, but doesn't touch him.
"I love you." She says.
He smiles. "And I you."
He sees her hand twitch, and then start to move forward. He guesses what she's about to do moments before he decides that his control would snap completely if she touches him there. So before she gets a chance, he speeds behind her, placing his cold hands on the bare skin of her waist, and hauling her upwards.
She squeals in response, and he lifts her higher, until she is seated on his shoulders, her legs dangling on either side of his head. She gasps, and he thinks he can feel the extra heat of her blood rushing to the top of her skin.
"W-what are you doing?" She asks shakily.
He wonders if he's made her uncomfortable. He's seen other boys and girls do this in bathing suits, playing a game called chicken. Surely this wasn't different?
But of course it was different. Because this is them. This is Edward and Bella, and nothing is quite the same for them.
"Getting you closer to the waterfall."
He ignores the impropriety of his actions, and begins his trek into the water. Its cold doesn't affect him, and he made a vow to himself long ago to give Bella anything she wanted… within reason of course. He doesn't allow himself to think about the warmth of her thighs around his neck, and the way he could so easily turn and place a kiss on her inner thigh. He would not take advantage of this position. He would be a gentlemen, they were merely having fun. He wouldn't taint that with his lack of self control.
The water only reached to the middle of his waist by the time they reached the waterfall. Small droplets misted the skin of Bella's legs, and he hoped it wasn't making her cold.
"Are you okay?" He asks.
"F-Fine." She whispers, sticking a hand out into the falling water, watching if flow around her fingertips.
"Are you cold?"
She laughs under her breath. "Hardly."
He wishes he could see her face. He feels like he's missing something.
He hears a rustle far away in the woods, and catches a scent on the wind.
Vampire.
He jolts and Bella wavers on his shoulders.
"Edward?"
Damn it. There isn't time to run. The water can hide their scent, but he knows it is freezing, and he doesn't want Bella in it. He deliberates for a moment, but knows that pneumonia is better than the possible alternative that another vampire will bring.
Another scent accosts him.
There are two.
That decides it. He pulls Bella swiftly from his shoulders, and gives her no warning before he lowers her into the water.
She gasps at the cold, but he doesn't have time to apologize.
He needs to get their clothes.
"Bella. Go behind the waterfall, and go underneath the water. Hold your breath as long as you can." His tone is rough and demanding, and she doesn't question him as she moves backwards, her eyes wide with fear.
He propels himself through the water, and is on the other side in two seconds. He grabs their clothes and dives back into the water. He can see Bella on the other side of the oasis, and pushes himself towards her. Her eyes are wide with fear, and he haa just wrapped his arms around her, when the vampires arrive.
The water is fairly clear, but he is counting on the froth at the base of the waterfall to hide them.
The travelling pair stops, as he had expected them to do. His and Bella's scents will be fairly fresh. He knows from their thoughts that these two aren't like him his family. He feels the lust run through them at the scent at Bella's blood.
The male suggests they keep going. They pick up Edward's vampire scent as well, and the male assumes that Edward has already snatched up the "little human."
Wait. The female thinks. I know that scent.
He struggles to recognize her thoughts. Perhaps she had run across his family before and recognized his scent?
He looks to Bella. Her face is pale, and he can see her shivering. He presses his lips to her, pushing fresh air into her lungs.
"Victoria!" The man shouts. "We must leave now."
Edward feels her hesitate. There's a want, a need, pulsing deep in her, but he can't decipher what it is that she wants.
The male, named Lucian, considers leaving her. There's an urgency to his thoughts, but Edward can't discern why.
Finally, the woman turns, and the two of them flee as quickly as they came.
Edward waits a moment more, before pulling Bella upwards and breaking the surface.
"I'm so sorry, Bella. I didn't hear them until it was too late to run."
She clings to him tightly, even though his body is probably colder than the water. He holds her up above the water as she speeds back to the other side.
He leaves their clothes sunken at the bottom of the pond, and starts back to the cottage, pushing his legs to go as fast they can. Her heart races, and she's shaking violently.
This is all his fault. He was careless. This is the second time he's held her in his arms, wet and freezing. He remembers watching her fall from the ferry and pulling her from the icy water. At least this time she's breathing. He can feel it puffing raggedly against his neck. He needs to get her back to the cottage. He'll turn up the heat, he'll draw a hot bath for her, just like he did that first time.
If only he can get there.
He can see the cottage in the distance, and his thoughts are so singular, so focused on their destination that he doesn't notice that someone has caught a hint of their scent, and is rushing just as furiously as he.